Ballyhoo (Jan 2, 1955)

Page scan 0003 from Ballyhoo

Record Details:

Title:
Ballyhoo
Date:
Jan 2, 1955
Volume:
Ballyhoo (Jan 2, 1955) Ontario 'B' District
Leaf #:
0003
Language:
English
Collection:
Canada, Global Cinema, and Hollywood Studio System
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
Media History Digital Library, Greig Dymond in memory of David Dymond, Paul Moore and Jessica Whitehead
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:

Ballyhoo

  • Ontario 'B' District Ballyhoo, editor: Dan Krendel (1952-55)
  • Profit Blitz for ‘Fitz’, editor: Dan Krendel (1955)
  • National Ballyhoo, editor: Dan Krendel (1956-57)
  • Time Out for Ticket Talk, editor: Norman Barker (1960-61)

Ballyhoo (1952-61) was published by Famous Players Canadian Corporation as a mimeographed internal sales and theatre managers’ newsletter. Editor, Dan Krendel, had been division manager of the Ontario ‘B’ District since 1942, and initially created Ballyhoo in 1952 to circulate weekly updates for a regional sales contest. Ontario ‘B’ District Ballyhoo continued until 1955 as a tool for sharing and incentivizing new sales techniques and publicity methods as the movie business declined in the face of television and the baby boom.

In Fall 1955, Profit Blitz for ‘Fitz’ was a nationwide sales contest, named for Famous Players’ president J. J. Fitzgibbons, honouring his 25th year as head of the business. Dan Krendel was made National Drive Captain and edited a weekly newsletter for the campaign.

From 1956 until at least 1957, National Ballyhoo was published weekly with Krendel as editor. He continued the style and content developed earlier for his Ontario ‘B’ District, but now extended vastly for a chain-wide coast to coast scale. Ballyhoo’s sharing promotional tools came at a time of contracting box office as television and automobile ownership became prevalent in the mid-1950s.

By 1960 until at least 1961, Time Out for Ticket Talk continued as a mimeographed newsletter, edited by Norman Barker of the head office publicity department. Time Out was compiled on a less ambitious scale than Ballyhoo. Compared to the earlier national compilation of local publicity gimmicks, Time Out often contained only a single memo or reproduced local story, and was often undated and only informally edited.

– Paul Moore, March 2024

Date Added:
April 11, 2024
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DRUMBEATS UP AND DOWN THE “B" TRATL In the way of trade paper coverage I'm afraid there isn't too much to report this week ... Actually I haven't had a chance to cover all the magazines ... this past week has been 2 pretty hectic one, and with one day clipped off ... well, I'll have to g® some to got this issue out, in addition to taking care of the accumulation of normal routine detail. Next week ..I'm looking forward to seeing the trade journals literally leaded with our "B" Gang'’s aetivities .o. As @ matter of fact I den't see how we can miss ... there's beon 30 mush good material tessed at me ... Well yes ... there is ONE way, and that's by your failure to send an account of yeur BALLYHOO to our New York editer friends. However, I shall serutinise each and every sheet very closely ... Bet I can make a pretty accurate guess as to whese names I'11 find listed ... Well, we shall see what pops up next week ooo Hope all you folks spent a very pleasant Christmas, and that the holiday decor in your theatres made your customers feel right at home ... and brotvher-rer ... did we have customers «> Let's keep ‘em coming that way right through the now year oco We'll give you the pictures ... YOU sell ‘em. But ... cnough of this chit chat ... time to get down to the business of reporting seme facts ... 50 how about taking @ gander at a few of the stunts reported by our master showmen o-o and when you have read them ... you'li know why in my book, December ig just another month when it comss to BALLYHOO 2... Se, let's get the show om the road ooo CAPITOL WELLAND Most of George's baliyhoo this week has to do with his advance on WHITE CHRISTMAS ... and from where I sit it looks pretty good ... He had the lecal Tribune carriers deliver 2,000 special heralds, deor-to-door ... A vacant 2/-sheet stand was grabbed by George sand sniped with six sheets heralding his WHITE CHRISTHAS date ove Plenty ef free plugs, with music from the track, over CHV G's "Mystery Personality" program ... alse their Fronch and Hungarian houre ... I can understand how you get your French 14m? George -co but how do you rate a Hungarian broak? Fer effect, George had two giant Christmas trees mounted on either side of his marquee, with cut-outs ef the stars and ent-out letters, backlighted, to announce title and playdates. fhis I Like ... The Tribune came through with a fine three solumn pie of Pate Sadesky, ome of the Capitel'’s projectionists, helding one of the new VistaVision lenses ... Excellent explanatery story accompanied the art ... with WHITE CHRISTMAS aneaking in half a dozen times. Plenty of points in this, ny friend ... You juet keap hammering away at the Lada of your Loeal Fourth Estate ooo Did I mention that George's I SAW deal is stili going as strong as ever? It is oo. As a novelty touch, this week he pasted